A New Way Home
by AMovieEnding
Summary: My one shot for the "To Kill a Cullen" contest. After a tragedy occurs that he faults himself for, Edward decides that he cannot and will not live without Bella.


**Title: A New Way Home.**

**Penname(s): AMovieEnding**

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "twilight," Smeyer does. I also don't own "Annabel Lee" by Poe. **

**Summary: When love is taken, and life loses all meaning, then what's the point of anything?**

**Submitted for the 'To Kill a Cullen' Contest**

**Please check out the other entries here : .net/community/To_Kill_a_Cullen_Contest_Community/76759/**

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_**A/N: **_This one shot was a labor of love. I really hope you enjoy it! Shout out to my loves ~ RCD and Doc, all my girls~ well, just cuz I loves them.

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Gravity has a different meaning to everyone. The things that bind you to life, that hold you to where you stand, they vary from one stranger's life to the next. What do you do, though, when suddenly the laws of science that apply to your personal universe cease to exist? When your very own force of gravity suddenly dissolves and ties that bind you disappear, what choices do you have?

- -

30,000 feet between the earth and I didn't seem to be nearly enough. I was on the last leg of my trip back from Rio, on my connection from Dallas to Seattle. Thankfully I had managed to get a last minute, first class flight back. I had sank as far as possible into the leather seat that felt like an electric chair, contemplating what would happen when the plane touched ground. I was heading towards my own death, I had no qualms about that. There was a part of me that refused to believe what I had been told. Deep within though, a larger part of me knew the truth. Our lives had become intertwined, she had become a part of me, as I had become a part of her. Suddenly everything had become a bit dimmer around me, like a light had gone out in my life. Despite this, I had to go back to Forks, I had to see for myself.

It had only been hours since Rosalie's voice had come through my cell phone, whispering the very words that could destroy me. Yet it seemed that the time since the fateful phone call had sprawled out; the hours that passed felt as though they had stretched, now longer than the century I had lived. I had tried to take myself out of the equation of her life, for her own good. Though at the time I believed that this would be best for her, it was clear now that it had been the biggest mistake I would ever make. The girl I loved was…dead. If this was indeed the truth, then I could not, would not, live without her. I refused to live in a world where she no longer existed. The one good thing that had come along, the thing that had turned my life upside down for the better…was presumably gone. All that I longed for, hoped for, was to protect her. But I had wanted to give her the opportunity to live the life she was supposed to have had. I shouldn't have existed in her time. I was a creation, an abomination and she deserved better than me.

I had never hated myself more.

I gripped the armrests of my leather seat, and it took all my will power to not rip them clear off the chair. I was at least relieved that the rest of first class was sparsely filled, and that the seat next to mine was empty. I was on the brink of becoming the clichéd loose canon. Without her I had nothing to exist for, and quite frankly, if someone had looked at me the wrong way, I could have snapped. If it weren't for the fact that I needed to see her, regardless of life or death, I would have drained them all and sent the plane spiraling into the Rocky Mountains. Of course I would have survived, but I would have probably given up and let myself become one with the wreckage, stone and metal married for eternity.

I could at least be thankful for the fact that I was physically unable to cry. Not that I didn't feel the need, and not that I didn't feel like collapsing to the floor and heaving for air that my lungs didn't long for; but it helped me stay conspicuous. If the other members of my family ventured to Forks, which was a possibility since Alice had been the one to foresee Bella's end, then it would be easier to show them that I was fine. I could work with the lack of tears, I could act under a façade, and none would be the wiser to my plans. I had several ideas of how I could end my existence, once I had confirmed whether Bella was breathing or not. The more my mind jumped from one idea to another and focused on keeping up appearances, the easier it would be to keep Alice, and therefore the rest of them, in the dark.

I spent the rest of my flight staring out into the black nothingness that was the night sky outside my window. There was no moon, and the emptiness, the sheer never ending expanse of darkness reminded me of the night I had left her. If there was anyway to go back in time, If I could take back the decision I had made, I would steal the opportunity in a second and run with it.

I also thought about what my plans would be when I finally touched down in Seattle. I would rent a car, and head towards Forks, although there was a good chance Alice would be waiting at the airport for me. I would then head to Bella's house. I knew, no matter what, that Charlie would have to remain oblivious to my presence. It would be impossible for him to injure me, but I knew that seeing me would injure him emotionally, whether his daughter was living or not. I would simply need to get close enough to hear what was going on, close enough to hear her heartbeat, to smell her scent. If my worst fear was confirmed than I would go to wherever she was, would do anything to see her one last time, short of exhuming her. If she had already been buried than I would have to hope that there was something after this life, and that she would be waiting for me.

My mind was racing at an unbelievable pace as I felt the bump caused by the wheels of the plane meeting with concrete. My flight had arrived on time, just after 10:00 AM, but the time of day was nearly indeterminable; the moonless night had given way to a sunless sky. I was walking through the terminal before I knew it, barely aware of how my feet had carried me there. As my pilgrimage progressed I began to feel less like a vampire and more like a ghost.

I had predicted it, but was still surprised to see Alice waiting for me with Carlisle's car just beyond the airport's glass sliding doors. There was a smile on her face as we made eye contact, but there was something off about it. Her face was stiff, and the smile didn't reach her eyes. I tried to listen to her thoughts to find a meaning for her presence, and for the odd smile on her face, but she was purposefully keeping me out; the words of Edgar Allen Poe swirling through her mind.

"_It was many and many a year ago,_

_In a kingdom by the sea,_

_That a maiden there lived whom you may know_

_By the name of Annabel Lee;_

_And this maiden she lived with no other thought_

_Than to love and be loved by me…"_

I knew the poem well, and I also realized that this was not a good sign. The poem told a tale of a doomed love, perhaps one of the saddest in modern literature. My hope faded. We didn't say a word to each other, but instead embraced. Alice held me close and squeezed tightly, burying her face in my shoulder. I made a move to pull away from her, but her tiny arms refused to give.

"Alice?" I whispered.

"Don't ask me Edward…please don't ask me," she whimpered into my shoulder.

I felt her hands curl in, grabbing small bunches of my shirt in her tiny fists. Even though she had asked me…I had to know, I could no longer wait for my answer.

I listened for her thoughts once again, hoping that she would be willing to give me something in that way, rather than speaking the words. But still, all I could hear when I focused on her mind was the story of Annabel Lee.

"_I was a child and she was a child,_

_In this kingdom by the sea;_

_But we loved with a love that was more than love-I and my Annabel Lee;_

_With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven_

_Coveted her and me."_

"Its true, isn't it Alice?" I felt myself breaking apart as I spoke. "She's gone."

"_And this was the reason that long ago,_

_In this kingdom by the sea,_

_A wind blew out of a cloud, _

_chilling my beautiful Annabel Lee;_

_So that her highborn kinsman came_

_And bore her away from me,_

_To shut her up in a sepulcher_

_In this kingdom by the sea."_

She didn't say a word, but I felt her nod slightly, and my mind was suddenly filled with foreign images, all that Alice had seen. As the scenes of Alice's time in Forks replayed in my own mind I felt myself begin to crumble, my already broken pieces splintering even further, and I fell to my knees. Alice somehow managed to get me into the back seat of the pitch black Mercedes without anybody noticing; and if anyone had seen the tiny thing lift a full grown man I was too forgone to care.

There was no point in keeping secrets now, there was no point to anything. I found myself in the fetal position, curled up on the soft black leather, the limousine tint of the car windows closing in on me like the night sky of my plane ride home. I could feel my body lurching in an unfamiliar way, and I cried out. I realized that despite my inability to produce tears, I was sobbing dryly and uncontrollably. The images flipped through my head over and over again. Alice talking to Charlie, his face red, moist and swollen, his eyes bloodshot and pained. His mouth moved in slow motion as he told Alice the story, as he described what had happened to Bella. My Bella. I had let her go, I had destroyed everything. Watching Charlie's face as he described the comatose state Bella had been in for months was almost too much. A ray of hope had come to Bella in the form of a boy. My reaction to this was mixed. I had wanted her to move on for her own good, but the thought of her giving her attention to another man only added to my torment. She had been spending time with Jacob Black, one of the boys from the Quileute reservation, the son of Charlie's good friend Billy. They had become good friends, Jacob and Bella, and she had been spending more and more time with him. They had decided to go cliff diving, but Bella must have grown inpatient waiting for Jacob to meet her on the cliff top, Charlie refused to believe that she had been trying to commit…suicide. He had problems saying the word, but hearing it and thinking of that possible motive, was much worse.

She had dove in alone, but the current was too much for her. Jacob couldn't get to her in time and she had…drowned. She had been rushed to the hospital, but nothing could bring her back. Nothing could put the pieces back together of the girl I had broken. The thought of Bella, sinking into the water, the cruel ocean swallowing her; all of it was too much to bare, and I felt as though my splintered and shattered pieces had been ground to dust. I continued on through the images, though, knowing that I deserved the torture. I had chosen to leave her, and despite my sincere motives for it, all that occurred was my own fault.

Charlie was now giving Alice details about the funeral. The service was at noon, and Bella was to be buried immediately after. I sat up suddenly, panic stricken.

"Alice," I cried out.

"Edward…I…don't know what to even say.." She glanced at me in the rearview mirror. The mask she had been wearing earlier was gone, her face now twisted in pain as our eyes met.

"Alice, there's no time…you need to take me to where she is. I need to see her," I choked on my own words, still sobbing dryly. "One last time."

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" She whispered.

"I just need to see her face, to feel her hand in mine, for the last time. You know where she is. All I am asking is that you bring me there and then you must leave Forks. Go back to Jasper and the rest of the family; tell them that I love them, but that I won't be coming home."

The car swerved off the road unexpectedly and halted to an abrupt stop. I was flung into the back of the passenger seat by the force of the breaks.

"What the hell, Edward!?" Alice threw the car into park and turned around, her eyes distant but furious at the same time. I already knew what she was seeing, and why she was angry with me.

"I can't live in a world where she doesn't exist, Alice," I whispered. "Even if my plan had worked, if she had chosen someone else, moved on and lived the life she was intended to have - I would have left the earth when she did. As vampires we don't need oxygen to survive, but when Bella came into my life, well, she became my air, Alice. I can't make it without her."

"We should have never let you convince us that leaving Forks was for the best," Alice shook her head. "But Edward, you can't go through with it, you can't leave us. Plus, you know that Bella would not want you to do what you're…planning."

"You'll survive without me, but I cannot survive without her." The words rang true. She had been taken from the world, now I would remove myself from it too. "And Alice, if what happened…what if it wasn't an accident. What if she had felt the same? What if she had thought she had truly lost me for good, and did what she did on purpose? I'm not saying that I'm so vain, to think that she would take her own life due to the loss of me, but I can't help but think - what if?"

"Edward, you can't harp on the 'what ifs'." She stared forward through the windshield, her voice just above a whisper as she spoke.

"That's the problem, Alice. When your life can last forever, that gives you more than enough time to think about the what ifs, the could have, should have and would haves." My decision was firm. She could offer any argument she wanted. I stared out the window and continued to think about the best way to destroy myself. Time was roaring on though, and there was so little to spare.

"Edward, I know that Rosalie called you to tell you what had happened. You do know how she found out about Bella, don't you?"

"You saw her Alice, I know. You saw the whole thing." My head fell into my hands at the realization. "You watched for her, even though I asked you not too…I'm not angry though, I'm actually thankful. I don't want to see how it happened…so if you can, please don't think about it. I'm begging you."

"But Edward, maybe it would be helpful to see that she…"

"Alice," I cut her off, "please, we can talk about this later. I have to get to her before its too late." There was desperation in my voice.

"Fine. Just let me say a few things first…" Alice drummed her fingers lightly against the steering wheel and cleared her throat, "You know that the Volturi will refuse you. If you go to Italy and ask for…death…Aro will not grant you the favor. The Volturi value those that possess gifts such as ours, you'd most likely be asked to join them. You can't force their hand either, not unless you want to cause more pain and heartache. If you go that route you know that the rest of the family will be in danger. The Volturi will either come for us, using your action as an excuse to move against our family…or, perhaps Emmett and Jasper will decide to pick a fight on your behalf. I can't live with that…and you should see that it would be the most selfish way to take yourself from us." She stared at me in the rearview mirror, a triumphant look on her face. She had made some good points. Actually, she had pretty much ripped apart the only two ideas I had come up with. I couldn't worry about it now, though, I just needed to see Bella. After I had my last meeting then I could get back to the drawing board.

"Hmm…all flickers of the Volturi have suddenly disappeared," Alice murmured, "I guess you're actually going to listen to me." With that she threw the car into drive and we were back on our way. As the car sped along the highway headed towards Forks I stared out the window, searching the scenery for ideas and answers. I would think of something. I was so deep in my own mind that I barely noticed the car had stopped once again.

"Edward, we're here." Alice whispered.

My head snapped up and I realized that we were sitting in the parking lot of Woodson's Funeral Home, just on the outskirts of Forks. The lot was empty other than our car, and this little bit of luck made what I was going to do a bit easier. At least I could have a moment alone with the girl I loved, and I would be able to avoid any confrontation with Charlie. The last think I wanted was for the pitch forks and torches to come out.

"Alice. I'm going to get out of the car. I want you to drive away once I do, and don't look back. This is the last time you'll see me. I won't come back, and don't come looking for me, for I will no longer be here. There may be nothing for our kind after our lives end, but there is nothing on this earth for me now. While I love you all, and I will always be grateful for all that you have given to me, done for me, I have tasted the love of a lifetime. I have learned that a life without love, well, its no life to live at all." I got out of the car and started towards the back of the building, hoping I could shimmy open a door or window. I felt Alice's tiny hand grip my arm and she spun me around using all her force. Her eyes were wild, and face hung in agony.

"Please Edward, don't…you can't leave me…you can't leave us…we need you. We love you." She took me in her arms and buried her face in my chest. "Don't Edward…just don't…" she raised her head and stared into my eyes, "even if we have souls…if there is a possibility of an afterlife for our kind. Killing yourself is considered a sin. You wouldn't end up were Bella is…" her eyes closed, and I knew that if it were possible, tears would be streaming down her face. I put my hand under her chin and raised her face to mine.

"Alice," I whispered, "Regardless of suicide or not…if I have a soul then I have already been damned for what I am, for the things that I have done. My past is unclean, and even if I repented for the things I did earlier on in this life, we are not creatures of heaven. I am not going to do this hoping that I will see Bella again. I don't know how to put this, but death is the only way I can live. I cannot spend the rest of eternity haunted by the things I could have had, if only I had been braver, smarter, stronger. I refuse to live everyday longing for an impossibility. I'm taking the easy way out, I know, I deserve to suffer…but please…just let me be. Don't tell anyone until you get back, I don't want anyone coming to stop me." I kissed her lightly on the forehead and removed myself from her arms. I turned my back on her, part of the dust I had turned into blowing into the wind, and walked away. I didn't look back, but I heard the car start and the tires screech as she pulled out of the parking lot.

I set to work finding a way into the funeral home. Luckily I found an unlocked window and crawled inside. I was immediately assaulted by the smell of formaldehyde and dying flowers. The smell of death enveloped me, but I knew that her scent would be gone, her blood emptied and replaced by the liquid that would keep her as Bella long enough for goodbyes. I would have to proceed with this leg of my pilgrimage in a mechanical way, pushing away the painful nature of what I was doing only long enough to reach my goal. I knew enough from television and movies that she would probably be in a freezer or refrigerator. I followed the strongest scents in the air to a door and found a staircase leading down into darkness. I was surrounded by machinery I did not recognize, medical tools and an unexpected table covered in make up and hair accessories. I forgot that bodies were usually done up so that the living could see the dead as they had been, one last time.

I hesitated as my hand grasped the large handle on the metal door, but pulled it open with ease. Billows of white curled around me as the arctic air met the warmer temperature of the work room, they invited me in, and I moved forward without thinking. A light above automatically went on as I entered the walk in freezer. I gasped as my eyes took in the sight before me. There, beneath the glow of the single light, lay Bella, a white sheet covering up to her bare shoulders. I rushed to her side and fell over her body, burying me head against her chest. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her up against me.

"Why.." I cried out, "why god?"

If the deity existed, why would he take her, what had she done to deserve this?

I laid her back down and crawled onto the table with her. I ran my fingers down her face and traced the shape of her lips. Her makeup was already done, a false blush on her cheeks, and I could hardly take the sight of it. The rest of her skin was nearly white, and as I laid my hand on her shoulder, our skin matched, hers was still slightly soft, but it was so off. It wasn't supposed to be this way. The poem Alice had been reciting earlier came back to me, the next verse flooding my mind.

"_The angels, not half so happy in heaven,_

_Went envying her and me-_

_Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know,_

_In this kingdom by the sea)_

_That the wind came out of the cloud by night,_

_Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee."_

She should have been fire under my palm, or, if I had been smarter, we would have been the same temperature - the same texture. I had once dreamed of a future filled with moments like this…quiet moments, just her and I, holding each other. I pulled her close to me, I knew that she was gone that her light had left, but it helped. I ran my fingers through her hair as we lay there, and I whispered to her all the things I wished I could have told her. I confessed my greatest sin of all to her, that I had lied when I said I didn't want her. I told her how I had thought about her every moment of everyday since my departure. I told her how much I loved her.

I knew that our time was fleeting, and I had to make sure I was gone before the funeral home workers showed up. As I stared at her slumbering face I couldn't help but think of one of our last moments together, watching "Romeo & Juliet" in her living room.

"Eyes, look your last," I whispered to her, "Arms, take your last embrace," I squeezed her tightly, one last time.

I slid off the table and bent over her, taking her face in both of my hands. "Oh you, the doors of breath," I leaned in closer, my nose touching hers as I whispered, "seal with a righteous kiss a dateless bargain to engrossing death…"

I pressed my lips to hers, finally understanding what it must have been like kissing me for her. My lips molded around hers, as they stood, still as stone. I wasn't ready to say goodbye, though. I found her hand underneath the white sheet that covered her, and wove my fingers around hers one last time. I kissed each one of her knuckles and then the back of her hand before replacing it on the table.

I gave her one last fleeting look as I headed towards the door. "I love you, Bella, forever." I turned and ran out of the damned place as fast as my legs would carry me. I ran until I hit the woods behind the funeral home and then I could go no further. I collapsed to the ground and stayed down. I was crying again, in the only way my body could, lurching and heaving dryly.

"_I'll rip you apart…I am going to destroy you, Edward Cullen…like you destroyed her…"_

I was on my feet immediately, startled by the words that had come into my head. I spun around, searching for the source of the threat, and inhaled deeply, looking for a foreign scent. Wafting from directly in front of me came the scent of something unknown, it was pungent and earthy, an animal definitely, but it wasn't the least bit appealing.

"_Wait until he turns around again, and then lunge. He's alone, this will be easy, I will give him exactly what he deserves."_

I crouched into a defensive stance at the second sign of the unknown threat. Sure, I wanted my life to end, but I wanted it to be on my own terms.

"Whoever is out there, show yourself!" I yelled.

"_What the hell? Oh shit, the bloodsucker really can read minds."_

Bloodsucker? Who the hell was out there? My question was answered before I could even begin to investigate. A few yards away from me a I heard a rustling in the underbrush, and an instinctive snarl issued from within my chest. I was struck dumb by what emerged. A russet colored wolf, the size of a small horse, slowly loped towards me, its teeth bared. I was so confused that I couldn't think. I opened my mouth to speak, even though I wasn't sure what to say, but was left with my mouth hanging. Before my eyes the shape of the wolf began to undulate, shivering and shaking. Suddenly a man stood where the wolf had been. I recognized his face immediately, though he had aged since the last time we saw each other.

"Jacob Black," I growled, "so I see the stories are true."

"Ditto." He snapped back.

We spent a few tense moments in outward silence, though internally he was screaming and I could, of course, hear it. Between spouting profanities he was still thinking of ways to kill me. I could not think the same of him. He had been there for Bella when she needed it most, and he had tried to save her life. I could not forsake him, in the name of her, I would cause him no harm. Suddenly a thought streaked through my mind, a light bulb went on. Jacob Black was a werewolf, and the one sworn enemy of _his_ kind, was _my_ kind.

"Jacob," I spoke calmly, "you want to destroy me…well…I want you to. I will not put up a fight. I want to, and deserve to die. Please, do your worst." I kneeled before him, putting my hands up in surrender.

Shock flashed across his face at my request, but it soon morphed into smugness. "You want me to do you a favor?" He cried incredulously. He stepped towards me, knowing that he had the upper hand and he spat in my direction.

"You left her!" he snarled. "You have no idea what you did to Bella, you made a mess of the girl! You destroyed her and now you want me to kill you so you don't have to live with what you've done?! I wouldn't give you the goddamn satisfaction!" He cried out, his form shaking as he screamed at me.

"I don't want to die because I feel guilty, Jacob. I want to die because I can't live without her. I know what I did, and no matter what the future holds for me, I will always have that decision on my conscious. I want you to know that I left for her, so that she could have a chance at the life she deserved. I left because I loved her enough to want better for her. I know that you will probably never understand that, but it's the truth. No matter what, I want you to also know that I am thankful for you, Jacob Black. I am thankful that you were there for her, when she needed someone the most; and when her life ended, you were still fighting for her."

He stood still for a few moments, contemplating what I had said. "I loved her too, you know. I could have been good for her, what was right, if you hadn't broken her past the point of repair. I guess, in a way, I'm luckier than you. Though this tragedy has taken away the one girl I have ever loved, she never loved me back. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't want to live with myself, either. She would have given you everything, been your everything, if you would have let her. Regardless of your motives, you threw that opportunity away," he paused for a moment. "You know what…when I first saw you, all I wanted to do was rip your goddamn throat out. Now, I just feel sorry for you. But I'm not going to kill you, Edward. I think you deserve worse than that; you deserve to live for eternity, thinking about what you've done, all the while haunted by your memories of Bella."

With that he turned on his heel and started to walk deeper in the forest. I sprang to my feet and followed after him.

"Please Jacob, I'm begging you. I have no other way to do what I want. I'll give you money, how about that?" I was desperate.

He laughed, as his frame began to shiver and shake. Once again the man was a wolf he craned his head towards me.

"_Have a nice eternity, Edward," _he thought, and he set off into the woods.

I couldn't let that be it. If Jacob was a wolf, well then there was bound to be a pack. If he would not give me what I wanted, then surely there would be others who would be thrilled with the idea of destroying a vampire. I started to run after him, quickly getting him in my sights, despite the surprisingly fast pace he could keep in his wolf form. I kept my distance, taking to the trees, hoping that he wouldn't notice my pursuit. Before I knew it we were crossing the imaginary boundary line that had kept the Cullens separated from the Quileute reservation for over half a century.

"_I know you're there, Edward. I'm warning you…don't follow me. I'm not going to do what you asked."_

"Maybe you won't but I know there are others…I can hear them in your mind, you're all linked; its quite interesting. Regardless of your decision, they won't hold back." I called. I ran straight through the invisible red tape, there was no reason to worry about the treaty now. I was not afraid, I wanted them to come for me. If Alice listened to me then the rest of the family would never be in the area again, anyway.

We were nearing the edge of the forest, the small red houses of the reservation coming into the view. The sun was breaking through the clouds overhead, and salt became prevalent in the air as the forest ended. As we entered the center of the little village Jacob turned on me, a fierce growl issuing from deep within his chest.

"_I've already told them about what's going on, Edward. No one will attack you." _

I ripped my shirt from my body, exposing my skin to the sun. I stood, with my arms raised, letting the warm rays throw shattered rainbows across the dirt. I walked towards Jacob.

"They might not attack me outright, but I'm sure they would react with provocation."

"_You wouldn't dare." _Jacob snarled within his mind, vocalizing another fierce growl at the same time.

Others members of the tribe were already noticing the altercation, standing on their tiny porches. I could hear tense whispers and see them rushing hurriedly from house to house. I saw an open opportunity and took it. I ran towards the nearest house and then back to the center of the village, now facing Jacob with a young boy, no older than 13 or 14 as my hostage. Cries erupted from all around me, screaming mothers and children began running in all directions, and the boy struggled in my hands.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I whispered to the boy, as his frantic thoughts filled my mind. "what's your name?" I asked him.

"Seth…S-S-Seth Clearwater." He stumbled over his words, and began to cry.

"Well, Seth Clearwater, there is no need to be afraid…I have no intention of hurting you. I am sorry, but I need to use you in order to get what I want."

"_DON'T DO THIS!" _Jacob was screaming his thoughts.

"You've given me no choice, Jacob Black," I whispered. "Just make sure that the pieces of me are burned."

I put on my fiercest face then and pulled every ounce of strength I had left to put on my final performance.

"I'M GOING TO DRAIN THIS BOY FIRST, WHILE ALL OF YOU WATCH." I screamed as loud as I could, and then I held out my finger, pointing and spun around so each person watching could see me. "THEN THE REST OF YOU WILL SUFFER THE SAME FATE!"

I heard the pounding of more paws against the soft ground then, and I knew the end was near. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as the four other enormous wolves emerged from the nearby forest. They all bounded towards me, snarling, their teeth bared. I knew that I was about to get what I wanted. I pushed the boy out of the way, just as they reached me, and had one last chance to tell Bella I loved her. I did not shrug away, but instead opened myself to their attack. I felt their teeth sink into my flesh, surprised at how they could cut through me as if I had true human flesh. Pain flooded through me and I welcomed it, finally feeling what I had longed too. The screeching of myself being torn apart, the screams of all those who were witnessing, the snarls of the wolves, and the pain..oh the glorious pain, all blurred and faltered. Everything went black.

- -

My eyes fluttered open to a blue sky, and I was thoroughly confused. I took a moment to collect my thoughts and still couldn't figure out what had happened. I sat up, though, and immediately realized where I was. The purple and blue flowers, the long grass, the distant sound of a babbling brook…I knew this place so well…I was in the meadow. I reached down and plucked a flower, trying to verify if my surroundings were real. The petals felt silken in my hand and I was dumbfounded. I patted my chest, my arms and my legs. I seemed solid too. I stood up, unsure what to make of my situation, and started to walk towards the nearest edge of the clearing, still searching for answers. A warm breeze wafted across my skin then, and in the air I smelled the most recognizable scent. I froze where I stood, with my back to the source of the scent, my long silent heart seemingly coming to life within my chest.

"Edward?"

- -

_But our love it was stronger by far than the love_

_Of those who were older than we-_

_Of many far wiser than we-_

_And neither the angels in heaven above,_

_Nor the demons down under the sea,_

_Can ever dissever my soul from the soul_

_Of the beautiful Annabel Lee._

* * *

**_Reviews are always welcome!_**


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